This is my most favorite Chicken Varuval/ fry recipe and a regular at our home. It is moist, succulent and spicy and is a great accompaniment to any dish. Amma`s recipe where fresh spices are roasted with coconut and then simmered with the cooked chicken to make it the most delicious tasting varuval/fry.

Appa was very particular about his meal times and lunch was served at 1pm so predictably we would sniff the aroma of some great food around noon on Sundays when Amma cooked something special for us. It was Thengai Pal/ Coconut milk Rice with Chicken Varuval OR for a simple meal she made Sambhar and Chicken varuval. I acquired the habit of having/making something special on a Sunday like Amma did. Yesterday`s meal was this simple Varuval and Tomato rice with mint raitha.

List of ingredients:

1/2 Kg chicken cut into bite size pieces ( appox 1 lb)

1/2 cup finely choped onions

1 teaspoon ginger garlic paste

1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder

4 tablespoons oil

1 teaspoon salt

few curry leaves

To Grind

1/2 teaspoon whole black pepper

1 1/2 teaspoon coriander seeds

1/4 teaspoon sombu/ aniseed

1 inch piece cinnamon

2 nos cloves

10 nos red chillies

2 tablespoon scraped coconut

For Garnishing:

fresh cut Cilantro/coriander leaves

some roasted cashews (optional)

Cooking procedure:

Clean the chicken and marinate with turmeric and salt. Keep aside.

Heat two teaspoon oil in a kadai/fry pan and fry the list of ingredients to grind in the order given. In the end add the coconut and saute until the coconut is dry. Grind to a paste using little water.

Heat oil in a kadai/fry pan and sauté the onions to golden brown. Add the curry leaves, ginger garlic paste and sauté for few minutes.

To this add the chicken pieces, sauté well until the chicken turns white .

Add the ground masala and little water for the chicken to cook. Cover and let the chicken cook on medium heat ( This will take about ten minutes)

Open the lid and simmer on low heat for another ten minutes until it is thick and dry but a little moist as shown .

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